


Storm

by nintendo6664



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: M/M, Oral Sex, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-10-11 21:23:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10474719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nintendo6664/pseuds/nintendo6664
Summary: Looker finds a Pokemon in need during a bout of bad weather. He goes to his old partner for help.





	

Changed some details i.e. Nanu being less of a salty bitch during the UB stuff and mostly letting Looker & Anabel handle it. Apologies if I fuck up timelines I tried my best to get everything straight! Also sorry for OoC, but I had to get something out for this ship because I love them dearly.  
  
Also sorry for this being extremely...EXTREMELY long and boring. I gave up on cutting stuff, though. Hope you can enjoy anyway and thanks for reading. :)  
  
\---

  
Looker waited for the phone to go silent before he slid it into his breast pocket.

He hadn't needed a call from HQ to see that something was happening with the weather, but the urgency in the chief's normally despondent voice did make him pause and observe the sky.

The wind had been picking up to the point where bird Pokemon were flying much lower, colliding with people and each other. Trainers were almost entirely absent from the trails- any Pokemon usually hiding in the grass had apparently found somewhere safer to go.

Looker was waylaid a few times trying to argue with children who refused to go home, going so far as to threaten to arrest a ten year old if she didn't get out of there pronto. Thankfully, she obeyed. Looker's bluffing skills were almost flawless, with the exception of trying to fool children.

Eventually he made it up to Route 16, though unfortunately this portion of the journey had to be on the back of a Lapras. The winds were considered too unsafe for a Charizard, despite the distance across Route 15 being so short. Looker wasn't about to argue even though he strongly preferred to avoid water travel. The ride service woman he'd had to call when the pager didn't respond seemed adamant that these winds did not bode well, and was even upset he planned on paging a Lapras.

The waves were powerful and crashed over him, but luckily the huge Pokemon was sturdy and a skilled swimmer. She must have sensed how tense he was every time the waves rocked them, because after a few minutes she leaned into the wind and kept them more or less steady.

From out in the ocean he could clearly see the dark clouds rolling in like a huge, black sheet that threatened to smother the island. With the strength of the wind it was difficult to say how quickly the rain would get there, but even from this distance it was clear they were approaching _fast_.

When he dismounted, he patted Lapras' long neck and passed her a dozen beans. He'd bought tons of the treats when he'd heard about Alola's transportation methods, but seeing as this was the first time he'd used a ride Pokemon he had a lot to spare. She deserved them, anyway.

"Be safe," he said, now feeling truly awful for putting her in danger.  
  
He hadn't fully believed the panicking islanders, having survived snowstorms, sandstorms, electrical storms, and even hot-ash-and-stone-storms from erupting volcanoes. But he'd only gotten through with his life because he'd realized the seriousness of each situation in time, and right now things were looking serious.

Lapras was well known for surviving hurricanes and tsunamis, though, so Looker chose to believe she'd be perfectly fine. He still anxiously watched her swim away until she had cleared the curve of the shore and was out of sight.

By the time he'd gotten to Ula'ula Meadow it had started to rain, and then pour moments later, thunder roaring with more frequency than he'd ever heard before. To say it was intimidating would be an understatement.  
  
He was thankful he was at low elevation as huge bolts of lightning streaked through the sky non-stop, likely wreaking havoc with any electric Pokemon outside of shelter. He tugged his coat over his head for a good thirty seconds before he was completely soaked regardless.

The meadow was nearly impossible to get through despite the boardwalk that had been built to make the traverse easier. The naturally humid and misty clearing was inhabited by a thick fog, and by the time he'd walked twenty yards he couldn't make out his surroundings at all.

He focused on keeping his feet on the path. He knew based on the hi-res maps of the island that the trail here wound around circuitously in some places. If he got disoriented badly enough and had to climb off into the mud to keep moving North he would. Route 17 was a clear shot once he got through this.

He had to reach the police station and meet his old boss and partner, certain he'd have more advice on how to deal with the current Faller situation. If he was being completely truthful, though, he also felt the desire to _catch up_ with the man now that they had somehow found one another again.

They had parted after their mission a decade earlier, and 000... _Nanu_ , now… had disappeared. The man had been threatening to retire for decades, and it seemed the ordeal of losing their escort had been the final straw.

He hadn’t even collaborated with Looker on the report or the interviews afterwards, though to be fair Looker had apparently been out of it for days. He didn’t exactly remember a lot of what happened during the Ultra Beast battle, but he’d woken up in a hospital with a feeling of paralyzing guilt and barely any time to recover before a black car- one of the International Police’s many harbingers of doom- was sent for him. His partner had apparently done the paperwork and disappeared, as was the norm for any agent who left the force. Secrecy was the name of the game.

Looker couldn’t help but feel the familiar stings of abandonment and guilt, but he’d quickly forced himself to move on. Especially after having the tragedy he’d caused read from 000’s report back to him. It was no wonder the man wanted out of the organization for good. It took Looker a very long time to cope with it all, but found throwing himself into another case a sufficient enough way to avoid the fear and frustration.  
  
Still...seeing the man again, coolly but casually addressing him as he always did but without any pretense of anonymity or rank… it filled Looker with a strange feeling he couldn’t quite place. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to him.

He held out his arm and his hand was obscured by the mist. He couldn't even hear any of the ever-present Pokemon cries, the sound of which he had finally gotten used to after a week on the lively island. If it wasn't for the thundering of the rain and howling of the wind he probably would have felt even more disoriented and cut-off from the outside world.

Suddenly he heard a faint sound. It sounded almost like an infant's wail, but nearly inaudible over the rain. As he strained to listen, the wind whipped at him and threw him forward. He stumbled and his feet hit hard ground. He'd made it to the other side.

The noise reached him again, sounding even more distant than before. It was much more distressed than the usual Pokemon cries, so he spun back around.

He really _really_ didn't like this. He didn't think it was coming from a human- it sounded a bit off- but hearing a Pokemon in distress made him panic far more. It was countless times more stressful than the threat of being swallowed up by the ocean and he could feel his heart start to race out of control.

Unfortunately the wind and rain were now beating against him as he attempted to stride forward, and he almost couldn't manage a single step. He leaned into it with all of his weight, stumbling forward as it briefly changed directions.

For a few moments he stood still (or at least attempted to), listening closely. Sure enough, he heard the cry some small distance from his feet. The source of it must have been coming from the dense growth of flowers and grasses in the field.

 _It's hopeless_ , he thought, _I'll never find anything in that mess_. In spite of his logic he stepped carefully off of the path and down into the overgrowth.

"Uh...hello?" he called out, attempting to project his voice over the storm.

He stepped forward carefully, squinting at the barely visible ground.

The Pokemon cried out, this time only feet away. Looker got on his hands and knees in the mud, the fog ever so slightly thinner just above the ground, and moved forward a bit, stopping abruptly when he saw it.

"It" was an impossibly tiny Alolan Meowth, grayish fur making it almost mistakable for a rock if not for the disproportionately large, golden coin on its head. Looker hadn't thought they could be found anywhere near this location- yet here it was, collapsed in the mud, tiny body tangled in some weeds and looking much like a drowned Rattata. It cried out again, voice high and scared. Looker quickly ripped out the knotted plants and scooped it up in his hands, holding it tight to his chest. It finally went silent, but he could feel it trembling against him.   

He let the wind push him back to the boardwalk, and fell to his knees as he tried to step up onto it. When he finally managed to get back on his feet, he ran forward, desperate to finally exit the meadow.

He hoped his hands provided some kind of protection from the rain but he felt as though it was soaking right through his skin and into his bones. Thankfully the fog had cleared significantly as he left Route 16 behind, and the police station was coming into sight fast.

He didn't bother knocking, doubting that the owner would even hear him. He clutched the tiny cat against him as he turned the knob and pulled with as much strength as he could muster. He slipped inside, door slamming with deafening force behind him.

"000!" he exclaimed, shaking his hair out of his eyes. "Er, I mean Nanu, I mean..."

Ula'ula's Kahuna was about to take a sip from his mug, his legs were propped up sloppily on his table, and he had a book open in his lap. One of many buckets in the room was placed between his feet, catching the rain as it leaked through his roof, and his overgrown Persian was lodged between him and the couch, apparently not willing to move so he could sit down.

He raised an eyebrow. "Looker-"

The younger man didn’t wait to be invited in and burst forward a little too quickly, legs shaky from the intense walk. He held out his hands, showing Nanu the Meowth.

Nanu put his book and mug down and got up, confused by the arrival of his former colleague during the middle of a hurricane. He was holding something out to him and as the older man approached, he realized what it was. His stomach sank like a stone.

"Potions...?" Looker said, panting. He looked almost as bad as the motionless lump in his hands.

"Uh..." Nanu said, trying to process the situation he’d just been presented.  
  
He carefully took the tiny Meowth from the other man. It was obviously a runt, and he couldn't believe it had survived even a few minutes in this storm. Meowth were already quite small, but this one easily fit in his palms.

"No... I don't. _Shit_ ."  
  
He'd used the last of his potions not even an hour ago when one of many kids came in after battling in the harsh winds. He had intended to go out and get more before the hurricane started but...well...he'd foolishly assumed it would be fine once everyone was in their own homes and he could restock once the weather had cleared some. In short, he'd been lazy. "Oh no..."

He examined the cat, and saw it was indeed breathing. They were rattling breaths, though, and his dread multiplied. Pneumonia in a Pokemon of this size and age would surely kill it quickly. It was hard to know just how young it was, if it had even been nursed, if it had the ability to fight an illness...

"A towel?" Looker asked, not waiting for an answer before making his way to the back of the station.

Nanu looked after him wordlessly before moving back to the couch and sitting down. Persian leaned in close and meowed curiously. The Meowth mewed back weakly, but its eyes remained closed. He pet it gently, hoping to soothe it some. Its whole body was shaking, and its erratic breathing sounded just like it was on the verge of death- a sound he knew well.

Looker came back with a towel and handed it to him. Nanu spread it on his lap and placed the cat on top of it, carefully running the cloth over its body. He felt his own hands shaking slightly, terrified any pressure might suffocate the thing.

"It's alright, girl," he said, nudging Persian away as she sniffed the runt. Now that the cat's whiskers weren't plastered to her fur, he could guess that she was female. Unless Kukui had just been fucking with him, he’d been told that the appendages didn't grow beyond tiny nubs until some time later for males.

"I'm going to go get some potions," Looker said.

Nanu's head snapped up. He'd almost forgotten the other man was there.  

"Don't be stupid," he said gruffly. He looked back down so Looker couldn't see his face. The guilt was eating him alive and he was sure it was written all over him.

"It's alright, it's not that far to the Pokemon Center," he said, turning back towards the door quickly. He wasn't sure how long it'd take to walk against the wind back through the meadow, or if he'd even make it through at all. But he had to try.

"Your stubbornness isn't gonna save you from being carried off like a Driffloon. I wouldn't bet on surviving being tossed into the ocean twice."

He got up, holding the cat gingerly. He wasn't willing to let go of her, so he hoped a lecture was enough to stop the other man from doing something suicidal. It had never worked in the past, but maybe he had finally grown some sense since last he'd known him.

"I have to do something! Look at her!" Looker yelled back, more out of nerves and urgency than anger. He immediately regretted it when the older man furrowed his brow and stared at the Pokemon with a pained expression. It reminded Looker of a much younger, more familiar Nanu rather than the despondent stranger he’d become reacquainted with.

The younger man approached him and gripped his shoulder. "I'll be fine. I'm going." He turned, only to be interrupted again.

"Po Town is closer... It's just up the road. Those Team Skull kids will more than likely have a stash of items there."

Looker hadn't known the gang he'd seen around was holed up in the town he'd been briefed was abandoned. Why Nanu had let that happen so close by was a complete mystery, but he didn't have time to question it. He'd have to remember to include that in his report, though.

Nodding, he closed his fist around the door handle.

"Kr! They won't listen to you. _I_ have to do it," Nanu said. He held out the towel with the cat bundled within for the younger man to take.

"You have to stay here and watch her," Looker replied, struggling to push the door open.

"You don't even have a Pokemon-"

"Please, just trust me, Zero-...Nanu."

" _Wait_ , dammit!" Nanu growled and Looker froze. Though his old boss had his share of emotional outbursts in the past, it had still been very rare and always put Looker on edge. The door slammed back in his face.

The older man returned to the couch and reluctantly set the runty cat down against Persian's side. He walked over to his desk and picked up one of the several Ultra Balls that were lying there.

"Here," he said, walking up to Looker and pressing it into his hand. "Just in case."

The younger man nodded quickly, placing the ball in his pocket and buttoning it so it wouldn't fly out in the strong winds. Not wanting to waste any more time, he finally shouldered open the door and exited the building, steeling himself against the stinging rain.

When the door slammed shut, Nanu let out a breath. He chose to believe the dread settling over him was just paranoia and not the obvious fact that he may well have just let his old friend kill himself.

The hurricanes on Ula'ula were no joke- particularly on this side of the island where the wind came off of the ocean. He wondered if Bulu had some hoof in this, and felt even more guilty sending Looker in his stead. The island's deity _probably_ wouldn't let Nanu die so easily, but they didn't give half a shit for his friends.

He paced back and forth, staring at the head sticking out of the towel with a worry that made the room blur around him. Persian followed him with her head, chirping occasionally- a strange nervous habit that she’d developed after many years of watching him pace.

Cursing, he forced himself to sit back down. He held the tiny Meowth close to his chest, listening to her death rattles and trying to ignore the painful tightening of his throat.  
  
If he'd just had some extra potions...it was extremely irresponsible as a police officer and Kahuna to not have a full stock at all times in case someone needed help. He'd just been too lazy and too self absorbed to go out of his way- as usual.

 _This is all your fault_.

He wanted to run to the door and yell for Looker to come back. The feeling in his gut was getting heavier and darker. But it'd already been at least a minute too long, and the other man would never hear him, and even if Nanu could leave he'd never catch up, unless the man had been impaled with a tree branch and dumped into a ditch like that movie with the vengeful Bewear he'd seen the night before.

"Calm down, crazy," he mumbled to himself. The combination of his morbid imagination and occasional bouts of mania had the potential to seriously fuck him up, so he focused on the silky feeling of the Meowth's gray fur as he ran his thumb gently over her tiny body.  

He'd just have to trust the younger man. It was a situation he'd been in many times before, and the crippling anxiety was the same as it was then.

How many times had he left his old colleague on his own, only for Looker to prove he didn't need the older man's help each and every time? It was one of the many reasons why Nanu had trusted him so much back then, and apparently still did.

The Meowth in his hands made a choking noise and turned onto her side. She was starting to look more and more like a corpse.

"Please hang in there, girl," he begged. He wasn't sure he could ever get over it if she died because of him, but he was completely helpless to do anything.

Turning, he placed her between Persian's arm and her chest. She was probably much warmer than him, but more so than that he especially wouldn't be able to handle it if the runt died in his hands.

The larger cat tucked her paw in, squishing her in close.

"Not so rough," he said, forcing her arm open. She glared at him, tail swishing. "She can't breathe, just give her a little room."

He got up and began pacing again, listening to the walls creaking and roar of the rain stripping his roof of its tiles. The few stray Meowth that had made it inside before the storm huddled under his desk, one of them yawning in disinterest over the whole thing.

Nanu tugged open a drawer, empty of the healing items that should be stashed inside and ironically containing only one unopened pack of cigarettes and matches.

Sighing, he tore off the cellophane and cracked the window a fraction, feeling the wind whip at his hands. As he sat on the other couch between two jumbo bags of Meowth food, he glanced across the room at Persian. She stared at him coolly, judgment plain on her round face.

"Just one," he said, prepared to chain smoke the entire pack. 

\-----

Looker wanted to scream in frustration. He'd been alternating shielding his face from the stinging rain and glancing up to figure out where he was going, subsequently getting completely lost.

So far as he knew it was a straight shot to Po Town and by normal estimation about a five minute walk, but he'd been unwillingly steered into the nearby cliffs some distance from his original path and then back into the woods opposite them several times already, and the sheets of rain coming down from all sides cut visibility down to almost nothing.

Snapped branches and rocks had flown into him, knocking him down on one occasion and cutting up his bare skin on more. A Wingull even came close to clipping him before it was helplessly swept away into the distance.

As he walked he felt Nanu's Ultra Ball bumping against him. He agreed to bring it along to satisfy the older man and move things along, but there was no way he would call it out.

Hadn't Nanu heard about what had happened with his own Pokemon? He hadn't asked the last time they'd been reunited - something Looker was eternally grateful for- but there was no way something like that would escape the former Captain's knowledge. And then there was their last mission together, and 000 had even put in writing how horribly Looker had fucked up... It said a lot about how desperate he was to trust Looker with something so close to him. 

He absolutely would not fail this task.

He breathed heavily as he drove his shoulder against the wind. His coat was soaking wet and nearly as heavy as a carpet bearing down on him. He wanted so badly to shed it and relieve some of the strain on his body, but he needed it for its secure pockets. So he focused on moving his shaky legs forward as best he could.

Stumbling over a rock he couldn't see, he felt his knee slice open as he knelt straight down onto another jagged stone.

He hissed and got back up, vainly wiping the rain out of his eyes to get a better sense where he was. It was taking too damn long to cover the short distance to the town, and he was becoming less confident that he was even walking the correct way after being thrown off-course so many times.

Though his whole body was soaked down to the bones, he could tell blood was pouring out of his leg. He knew well what a gash felt like. It certainly made walking awkward, but he pushed forward despite the pain.

By the time he could see anything he had almost slammed into one of the cement walls that encompassed the town. He ran his hands along it as he worked his way to the entrance, relieved the strength of the wind was cut significantly by the massive structure. Breathing hard like he'd run a marathon, he vowed to start up sprinting again after this.

He was once again grateful he'd studied every detail of the island's maps before arriving despite being told he wouldn't need to concern himself with this area. He knew there was a single door serving as an entrance to the entire town, luckily not too far from where he'd strayed off to.  
  
Though it appeared unassuming, it must have been barred from the other side or extremely thick because it wouldn't budge.

He planted a foot on the wall and pulled at the handle with all of his strength, then kicked at it repeatedly. He screamed and slammed his fists against it, but even he could barely hear himself over the wind.

Panting, he stared at it. It was almost humorous how such a small, insignificant thing like a locked door could make him so completely frustrated. It always felt helpless when he couldn’t use his brain to solve a problem, and he was again reminded of how he'd felt that last time with Nanu and the Faller and how there'd been no blood at all, no fight, she'd just been devoured whole...

He slammed his fists down again and thought about the Ultra Ball. There was nothing he wanted to do less than command a Pokemon again. The idea made his chest constrict painfully and eyes sting from more than just the rain

Then he thought about Nanu. The fear and guilt on his face when he'd told Looker he didn't have anything to give the Meowth was disturbingly out of place on him. He’d looked down before, after missions went bad. He’d looked distant and depressed and bitter. But the expressions always looked so wrong on his normally impassive, calm face. Looker would do anything he could to not have to see that expression on him again.

He fished the ball out of his pocket, pushing every last bit of trepidation to the back of his mind. He just couldn't consider failure as an option- a mental tactic he'd gotten used to after grappling with so many desperate situations.

He clutched the ball tight as he clicked the button with his thumb, the motion still somehow feeling natural after all this time. It grew in size under his palm and released its inhabitant in a flash of light, which Looker quickly wrapped his arms around. The light became solid and emitted a piercing cry, digging its sharp claws into him.

Sableye immediately bit down on his forearm. Immense pain shot through him and he did his best to remain calm- he didn't want to agitate the unpredictable ghost Pokemon further.

"It's me, Sableye," he yelled as thunder crashed around them. He hoped that she would recognize him- they had met plenty of times before. But it had been many years since then. "It's 100kr."

The Pokemon pulled her teeth out and sniffed him, screeching in what could _possibly_ be construed as a friendly manner. Her claws dug into Looker's lapels and she bared her jagged fangs at the wind and rain.

The gems that some people called Sableye's eyes were unaffected by the downpour considering they served no purpose for sight, but the wind was certainly strong enough to carry her tiny body away. Looker tightened his arms around her, not willing to let that come close to happening.

"We need to get this door open," he yelled, voice hoarse.

Despite her blindness she seemed to have some extrasensory awareness of her surroundings, and she had no trouble instantly focusing on the target. A black ball materialized in front of her, hovering as it built mass.

The recoil was much stronger than he anticipated and he stumbled back as it blasted forward. The door glowed briefly at the point of impact and the ball burst, splintering the wood into a hundred pieces.

Looker hurdled over the few jagged scraps that still clung to the door hinges and what looked to be the remains of a crude barricade, locking onto the nearby Pokemon Center. His stomach dropped when he saw how dilapidated it looked. Sableye crawled under his trenchcoat and dug her nails all the way through to his skin as he pried open the door.

"'Ey, who's this suit?" a young voice rang out from the dark room. It seemed that the power was out, but there were a few candles scattered around some lounging teens. "Get out of here 'fore we give you the boot!"

A blue haired boy gave the girl speaking a high-five, then low-five, and then some complicated-five Looker could barely follow.

"Listen," he said, approaching them quickly. They all turned their heads and got in defensive stances, except for one kid who continued to snore in the corner.

He held his hands up submissively. "Please, I'm not here to fight. I just need help."  
  
Before he could go on, he was interrupted.

"Yo, how'd you get in here?" a booming voice from behind him made him jump. He turned, swallowing thickly.

Great. Judging by the young man's _presence_ and the way the mood in the room instantly shifted, there was only one person he could be.

Looker was a fairly tall man, but the Skull Boss was half a head taller than him, and broader as well. He wore only a tank top and a pair of sweatpants that clung to him from the rain. Despite his shaggy, soaked hair hanging in his eyes, he was certainly on the surface one of the more intimidating looking criminals the cop had met. Guzma was his name- he'd learned that as well before he'd come to Alola.

Looker didn't wait to be addressed.

"Please," he said, "I need potions, and revives, antidotes, whatever you've got. There's a Pokemon-"

"Woah woah woah, hold up," the young man said with a mocking yet forceful tone. He took a few casual strides forward, easily clearing half the room and hovering over Looker. "I was just taking a nice stroll in the rain when I see some shady guy blow up my door and break into my Center. You better not be harassing these innocent kids in here."

The Skull grunts laughed, the rhyming girl exclaiming that he had been "coming at them," and the sleeping grunt continued to snore peacefully. Looker stood his ground, unsure whether he should act hard or act scared to get him what he needed faster.

" _Listen_ ," he said, then added "p _lease_. There isn't much time."

His brain raced. Money always spoke to this breed of gangster... He reached into his pocket to find his wallet, but he remembered the end table at the motel room where he'd left it. His hand was a bit slower than his brain, though, and he pulled out the empty Ultra Ball.

"Shit!" Guzma yelled, whipping his own ball from his pocket with enthusiasm. He jumped back, creating a gap between them. "This weirdo wants to battle! You're gonna get a beatdown you'll never forget."

" _No_! I don't!" Looker said, panicking. Every moment wasted here was a moment that Meowth was in pain and a moment closer to certain death. "I'm just trying-"

Suddenly a huge, hulking Pokemon he'd never seen before was in his face, its insectoid eyes staring him down. This time he did stumble backwards, but it was too late. The Pokemon swiped a giant claw and the Ultra Ball shot out of his hand with a strength that cracked the nearby wall, almost knocking out the rhyming girl in the process. She screamed belatedly and dove out of the way, and the others laughed.

"I'm just messin' with you," the boss said from behind his beast, his voice freezing over. "I don't play with cops. They're no fun."

"Please," Looker tried one more time. His hand bled from the slash, but he was blind to the pain. How Guzma had known he was police was also of no concern right now, so he fought against his instinct to try and deceive the gangster. "I'm not here to shake anyone down. I just need some help, a few potions-"

Once again he was interrupted. "Golisopod!" the young man boomed, throwing his arm out. The arthropod swung at him again, smacking into Looker's chest with its hard armor and sending him sprawling to the ground. He cried out in pain, noticing with some concern the huge streak of blood that had trailed from him.

Guzma noticed it as well, cocky expression falling a little. "Ah, shit-"

Suddenly a purple blur shot out from under Looker's coat and skittered across the floor. Sableye got on two feet and let out a screech that froze everyone in place, including Looker. She sounded pissed.

Opening her mouth and baring her teeth, another shadow ball formed in front of her, this time emitting an ominous buzzing sound as it gathered power.

"Golisopod, defend!" Guzma managed to get out before the attack was launched. The large creature held up an arm, apparently much quicker than it looked. Sableye was on a whole different level, though, and when the ball made contact with its shell it burst into purple flames that spread and consumed its entire body.

Looker tried to call Sableye back but his mouth wouldn't move. As he had feared, he was completely paralyzed when the time came to command a Pokemon once more. She was already forming another Shadow Ball when Guzma's Pokemon cried out and returned to its ball in a beam of light, strangely enough without a command from its master.

Guzma clutched the ball in his fist and clenched his teeth, but made no move to call out another Pokemon. Looker stumbled to his feet, pain shooting through him.

"Wait, Sableye," he managed to get out, terrified of how the scene before him was unraveling. Somehow, though, she listened to him, and the ball dissipated in less than a second. He let out a shaky breath.

"That's the old man's Pokemon, aint it?" Guzma said, angry expression tempered by interest. "Why do you have it?"

Again Looker questioned this kid's perceptiveness and even briefly mused that it would be useful to have someone like him on the force, but pushed those thoughts away quickly. "...Yes, she is Officer Nanu's Pokemon. He sent me because he needs help!"

"Damn, why didn't you say so?" the younger man joked, earning a chorus of laughter from the peanut gallery. Looker's face must have shown well just how furious he was, because Guzma raised his hands. "Woah, chill. Alright, I'll help you. The old man's cool with me. What do you need?"

\-------

The way healing items were these days made them nearly indestructible- unlike the potions he used to carry around that would crack and leak under any sort of pressure. He'd ruined countless pairs of slacks just rolling across the floor or slamming into a wall. But as they were now there wasn’t a threat of the rain destroying them as they soaked in the puddles that were his pockets.

The entire time he barreled through the mud and storm, his throat was tight and his stomach turned over and over. Sableye had returned to her ball and he had nothing to worry about save making it back quickly. Still, he felt like the trip was taking twice as long as the way there.

Through some miracle he managed to reach the station without being rerouted nearly at all. Prying open the door was even more a challenge with his growing exhaustion, but with a final burst of strength he was able to slip in before it slammed shut behind him.

Nanu's head snapped up, and Looker felt a chill that ran deeper than his soaked skin. By the haunted look in his eyes and the pallor of his skin he looked like he'd undergone a trial twice as long as Looker's.  

" _Well_?" he said. His voice was tight.

Looker had once again found it impossible to speak, so he just nodded and approached the couch where the older man was sitting.

Persian had one large arm laid protectively over the impossibly tiny cat, and she growled when he approached. Nanu ignored her and picked up the limp Pokemon, cradling it in his hands and standing up to meet Looker.

"Tell me you brought a revive," he said, red eyes boring through the younger man.

"I've got everything," Looker said, holding out the small canister. He immediately sprayed the stuff on the unconscious cat, praying that it would work.

They both watched her closely, holding their breath and straining to hear some noise from her motionless body. Persian made a distressed sound and Nanu turned to her, shushing her a bit too viciously.

"I saw something!" Looker shouted. He pointed frantically at the motionless lump.

"What?" the older man said, staring at her again. " _What_?"

"Her tail twitched," he said. He knew he hadn't imagined it. The frail little appendage had swished a fraction.

"Mrrr," it rumbled, voice barely audible above the rain pounding around them.

The change that came over Nanu's face was almost comical. His eyes brightened and he smiled a genuine smile.

"That's it, girl," he said, petting her gently. "You'll be fine..."

They watched for a few moments more until they were sure they could see her tiny chest expanding and contracting peacefully.

Slowly Nanu returned to the couch, holding her close. Persian leaned on him curiously, watching his hands. Looker sat down on the other side of him, observing just as closely.

"Arceus," Looker said, "I thought... she was..." he trailed off. His heart still wasn't slowing down and he suddenly felt extraordinarily dizzy, like he had just exited a carnival ride.

The emotions and the panic of the past few hours hit him at full force. He clutched his chest, feeling completely overwhelmed.

"Looker?" the older man said.

"Fine, I'm fine," he said quickly. But after an entire night spent fighting the memory, he had finally snapped and was transported back to the night he had lost his Pokemon, his best friend, his companion who had relied on him.

Even after the memory loss he somehow always remembered it more vividly than any other ordeal he'd been through, despite how awful some of the things he could remember were.

Croagunk had gone down so easily, life immediately snuffed out by a well placed bullet, and he'd had to run or he'd die too, and _Arceus_ he'd wished every night after that he hadn't fled his fate, fled from his friend's lifeless body, left alone for any wild Pokemon to come across and pick clean without any thought.  

 _No_ , _don't do this now...not in front of him...could you have picked a worse time?_

"Breathe, breathe, Kr! You're not there anymore."

The sound of his boss's stern voice giving him orders brought him back a bit, his frantically pounding heart slowing ever so slightly. His body subconsciously recognized 000's voice, and that he'd better listen to whatever was being said lest they lose their mark or their lives.

He felt a hand on his back, rubbing soothingly on the soaking wet fabric, and then it moved to his side and tugged at him. He felt warmth and leaned against it, part of him screaming to stop making a fool out of himself, but most of him still drowning in panic.

"Uh...sorry," he managed, voice shaking.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," 000 responded. His words were heavy, like they were full of meaning beyond the awkwardness of the current situation. "Breathe."

Looker nodded, his vision finally clearing up. He got his breathing under control in a few moments, at this point in his life unfortunately used to these 'incidents.'

 _You're not there anymore_ , 000's words cut through the haze. Only it wasn't 000, his _boss_ or his _partner._ He was just Nanu, now. His friend.

He glanced up at the Meowth curled up on the older man’s thigh and started. Her eyes were open with a look that said very-tired-but-definitely-alive.

He laughed, the sound a bit weird with how uncooperative his lungs were being.

The arm the older man had reassuringly wrapped around him tightened ever so slightly. Though his eyebrows were still furrowed with unease, he smirked in that devious way only he did. Looker managed to smile back, finding immense comfort in how his former partner always tried to lighten the mood.

Reaching out, the younger man shakily pat the little ball of fur. She made a high pitched sound that was unbearably cute but clearly displeased, and Looker pulled his hand away, conceding that he wasn't very good at petting cat Pokemon.

They quietly watched her as she shifted ever so slightly and closed her eyes, both men appreciating the peace after such a stressful night. Looker thought he felt Nanu's eyes on him briefly, but when he glanced up the older man was still watching the Meowth.

After just seconds she was sleeping, making a small rattling sound.

"Does she need another potion?" Looker asked, worried. It sounded like the pneumonia was still there after all.

Nanu chuckled. "She's purring," he said. "It's alright."

"Oh...right. I knew that."  

Nanu's arm was still wrapped around him, and the younger man leaned in a tiny bit more, his arm just touching the other's side. He didn't really understand what he was doing- he almost always avoided prolonged physical contact. But the sensation somehow felt comfortable with Nanu even though they'd been strangers for a decade now. It almost felt like it was natural. The smaller man's body heat mixing with his felt...nice.

He knew the gesture was just to keep him grounded in reality, and he appreciated it. Even though the panic and nausea were mostly gone, it did help soothe his frayed nerves.

He must have gotten too lost in his thoughts because when Nanu spoke up he flinched a little.

"What?" he said, a bit embarrassed.

Nanu looked at his ex-partner for a moment, concern evident on his face. He’d rarely seen Looker freak out like that- other than, of course, the near catatonic state he'd gone into for a few days after the Faller incident, refusing food and not answering even the chief's questions.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had triggered it, though. He knew about Looker's Croagunk. The news had spoiled his dinner when a mutual colleague of theirs from back in the day spilled the whole story to him.

The thought made him feel horrible as well. Croagunk was a great Pokemon, particularly with Looker. Persian had also gotten along well with the cheeky little bastard, and had even made a scene when Nanu left on a different assignment, covering the venomous frog with her much larger body and nearly crushing him. He didn't know it was possible but the older man felt even worse for laying the responsibility onto him to save the dying Meowth.

"I said 'Thank you,'" he repeated. "You saved her. And I'm really...really grateful." He finally let his arm drop, giving the man some breathing room.

Looker didn't move away, though. The older man almost jumped when he felt Looker's hand on his side this time. He stared blankly, not quite understanding the meaning of the gesture.

Suddenly, unpleasantly, he felt something he thought he'd repressed for good come at him like a speeding train.

 _What the fuck_? He was too old to be reacting to a simple touch like this, especially from the man he'd long convinced himself he’d never pine over again.

"Uh..." he said stupidly.

Looker was gazing at him intensely, and suddenly his stare had moved down to his lips.

"You are soaking wet," Nanu said with a bit too much annoyance, looking away and hoping the other man hadn't seen the absolute terror he'd just felt.

He stared pointedly at the hand on his side, and straightened up when he noticed the bright red liquid coating it. He grabbed it and examined it, forcing the taller man to press against him even more. "Looker, what the hell happened?"

"Oh... I forgot. The Team Skull boss...there was a small skirmish..."

Nanu stared at him hard. " _What?_ "

Looker backpedaled, stuttering. "It was no big deal, a... misunderstanding, he just wasn't listening at first! He was messing around-"

Now that Nanu was looking him over, he noticed the large red stain pooling under the younger man's left leg as well. How had he not seen that this entire time?

"Shit, Kr! You're bleeding everywhere!"

"Oh...Right," Looker said. He glanced down and saw the stain. "Oh _merde_ ! _Je suis navré_!"

Nanu growled and pushed him away (albeit without much force), before fitting the runty Meowth back in Persian's arm. She licked the tiny ball and a minuscule squeak responded.

The Kahuna got up, making his way to the bathroom. "Take off your clothes," he barked, loud enough to hear over the pounding rain even from another room.

Due to various injuries in the field the command had been tossed at him countless times before, but at this moment Looker felt very strange hearing it. He was feeling quite strange all around...Nonetheless he obeyed, tugging off his belt and pants. He really did have to clean himself up considering how much mud he'd knelt in.

He'd folded his pants and shirt and hung up his coat by the time Nanu returned with his first aid kit, multiple towels, and rubbing alcohol.

Everything below the knee was bloody, and now that his coat had been removed he could see that his arm was a mess from Golisopod and Sableye too. He could feel a few nicks on his neck as well as the back of his head, though his face was clear from cowering under his arm for most of the walk.

He stood there in just his (soaked) boxers while Nanu eyed his cuts with an annoyed expression. Finally the older man motioned for him to sit back down and set everything on the table.

He got down on one knee, feeling several joints pop in protest. Persian made a noise that Nanu knew from experience equated to laughter.

"Yeah yeah," he said, gripping Looker's shin and pulling him closer. He took a needle from the med-kit and pointed to the sleeping Meowth with it. "Just keep watching her."

He handed the needle and some thread to Looker and made quick work of soaking a bit of towel with the alcohol. Looker’s hands were thankfully completely steady by now so he was able to thread the needle before Nanu ran the cloth over his cut and made him flinch. His eyes watered and he hissed, but Nanu shushed him before clearing the area of the mud and blood. He made a few passes with a separate towel he’d soaked in water and then again with the alcohol, and they both gazed at the jagged cut as it oozed fresh blood.

“A nice new scar for your collection,” the older man said, trading the towel for the needle in Looker’s hand.

Looker unenthusiastically wiped at the cuts on his hand and arm, the stinging making his fingers twitch involuntarily.

He pressed down and watched the older man work, unsurprised that his thin fingers were still able to stitch rather well. His technique had always lacked finesse and neatness- a fact that Looker had mentioned once and the older man had brought up tirelessly ever since - but he was quick and the result was sufficient.

When he was done he got up and sat down next to the taller man, taking his hand.

“These don’t look so bad...The brat went easy on you. He’s all talk.”

Nonetheless he made sure to drown the cuts in yet more alcohol, Looker biting the inside of his cheek to keep from yelling at the man. He wrapped a bandage around his hand and upper arm, pausing only for a moment to shake his head at what were clearly Sableye’s bite marks.  

As Nanu pulled his hand away Looker caught his fingers. The older man stared at their hands and then at him, their knees bumping between them.

“Thanks,” he said, smiling. In a weird, backwards way, getting stitched up by his old partner was very nostalgic. In the period of time he’d still desperately missed the man, that was one of the many memories he had considered precious and wished he could get back. And here he was, all patched up again thanks to Nanu. It was...amazing, really.

“Sure…” the Kahuna said slowly, his lips quirking a bit. “I still owe you, though.”

Looker was quiet as he gazed at Nanu, reluctantly letting his hand go. This time, though, the older man didn’t look away. His smile turned back into an impassive frown and he blinked slowly, meeting Looker’s eyes with an unreadable look in his own.

Suddenly a loud crash of thunder split through the room, shaking the windows violently. Persian screeched, getting up and bolting across their laps and several times around the room before puffing up in the corner. The stray Meowth stared at her warily from under the desk.

"Aaaaah..." Looker groaned, new scratches forming on his thighs.

"Ah, shit, did she get you...?" Nanu asked, trying not to laugh. He turned and pet the small Meowth who had been tossed onto the cushions and was also puffed up into a ball of agitated fuzz.

His crotch had been trampled by a startled Persian more times than he would ever admit, so he had a sixth sense for recoiling right on time when she went flying. She was heavy and could do some (fortunately temporary) damage, but Looker wasn't doubled over in pain so he must have been fine.

Sure enough, he said "I'm alright...Just a scratch."

"Here, I'll get it," the Kahuna said, reaching for the cloth and swiping it over his thigh. "They can get nasty. Persian claws are filthy, you know."

Looker's thigh muscles flexed under his hands and Nanu swallowed, just now realizing how close he was to the man's barely clothed dick.

 _Bulu, I am a teenage boy_ , he thought in exasperation.

Shoving those thoughts to the furthest recesses of his brain, he got up, his knees cracking. "Eugh," he grunted, cracking his back while he was at it. "...What a night.”

The younger man's face looked a little sheepish. He quickly retrieved his miserably wet slacks and pulled them back on, wincing a little as they clung to his wound.

"Yeah, thanks... guess I should be going now. The potions are all yours... And uh, call if you need anything." He placed Sableye's ball, the huge amount of healing items that were able to fit in his pockets, and some squished berries onto the table.

Nanu stared at him. "Are you dense? Do you not remember the hurricane you were walking in twenty minutes ago?"

For some reason the taller man suddenly looked incredibly nervous and Nanu squinted at him. ...Did he feel awkward for having one little breakdown? He'd seen Nanu at way worse, once getting hysterical in Kanto when a sushi place was closed and he was drunker than should be possible. He could list a hundred more incidents, and Looker could likely add plenty more.

"Oh, right. Of courrse... Do you mind if I stay here until it blows over?"

"No... you have to leave," Nanu deadpanned.

Looker's face was relieved and he shrugged his overcoat back on.

"What the hell! It was a joke, idiot. You're not leaving! Besides, it's illegal to ride Pokemon in this weather."

"Are you gonna arrest me...?" Looker said, but his voice was quiet.

Nanu sighed. "What's wrong?" he asked. He was too exhausted to fuck around right now.

"Nothing, I just..." Looker trailed off.

He struggled to think of how to describe his discomfort without outright saying he was suddenly feeling intensely attracted to the older man.  
  
Thanks to the man's reputation Looker had known even before they'd partnered up that his old boss definitely liked women -particularly busty women- and he'd given him no indication that he'd liked Looker any more than mere toleration. Not that Looker would ever try and make a move, anyway. The Kahuna was too far out of his league. He couldn't help how weak willed and confused he was feeling, though, as he remembered he always used to when the normally sardonic man was kind to him.

He did fully intend to get that advice he'd come here for, just...maybe a little later. Once he’d calmed down.

"We both had a really bad day...And it's alright now, thank Arceus- and, uh, Bulu- but... Well, I know how you like to de-stress alone, and I know how I can be pretty stressful to be around. And I'm not sure why I'm acting so weird right now and...earlier... and it's probably even more stressful. And you even stitched me up, which I could have done later, not that I'm ungrateful or anything, really, I just don't want to overstay my welcome-"

"Kr." Nanu grabbed the taller man's arm firmly. "You're not stressful. Honestly, I haven't felt less stressed in a long time. Well, I'm a little stressed that my roof might blow off and we'll be crushed by drywall, but that is unlikely...Maybe."

As if on cue another thunder crack roared overhead. Persian wailed from her spot in the corner and Meowth grunted but otherwise slept peacefully.

"Besides, we haven't had time to catch up in years. I would be happy to have you." He didn't emphasize again that there was physically no way for the man to leave unless he wanted to sleep in the filth that was Po Town, feeling that it might undermine his attempt to be reassuring.

As with every point in the past, he felt compelled to try and comfort the younger man as much as he could, which was usually no more than a pathetic attempt, and often made it worse. He hoped that he had perhaps gotten less abrasive over the years, but he knew damn well the reality was the opposite.

Looker nodded and smiled, face more defeated than comforted.

"Of course. Thank you."

They stood there in silence, the taller man staring at his feet and Nanu examining him with concern. Why was he so bad at this? He wasn't about to give up.

"Hey," he said. His throat already itched in anticipation of trying to sound less like an emotionless dick. "I meant what I said. You really came through for me, like usual. I don't know how well I could have coped if she had died because me."

"It wasn't your fault," the taller man said. He still looked uncomfortable, but he met Nanu's eyes.

The older man had a naturally sharp and intimidating face, admittedly a trait he rarely took advantage of, but in a strange way it could be open and kind as well. Looker felt himself heat up even more despite his freezing wet clothes.

"No," Nanu said. He knew that it was entirely his fault, but he wasn't going to argue with the man. "But either way, you did something really heroic. Figures I couldn't see you for more than five minutes without you pulling a stunt like that."

The taller man smiled more genuinely this time, his old colleague's words making him feel even more nostalgic. He'd gone mostly solo on missions ever since Nanu had retired, and he'd forgotten how it felt to receive compliments from him. They instilled him with a shameless sense of pride.

"You were about to do the same, and you probably would have gotten back faster."

" _And_ I wasn't out patrolling in a hurricane so I never would have found her. We're both dumbasses but we pulled through together, just like old times. Will you at least take that?"

"Yeah...you're right," the younger man said, grinning ear to ear.

Even after all these years, Nanu's heart still melted at the sight.

_Great... not only am I still a horny teenager, I can't keep myself together just looking at him. Haven't I done enough awkward pining for one lifetime yet?_

“Thanks,” Looker said again, eyes falling as he looked Nanu up and down.

He hadn’t actually had the time yet to really study the older man. He still looked very much the same, but the signs of old age had finally started catching up with him. If Looker remembered his own age correctly, Nanu was sixty-three years old as of a month ago. When they’d met he’d been in his early forties with dark black hair and the imposing presence of Interpol’s most valued Captain in the entire Western sector.

Looker had a crush on him almost instantly, despite only being in his early twenties himself. He didn’t just respect his senior officer due to his rank, but he also found himself hopelessly charmed by how intelligent he was, and how thoughtful he could be about his work and each member of his team. Looker didn’t always get his dry sense of humor in those early years, rusty as he was with English expressions, but 000 somehow seemed to get a kick out of him anyway.

He must have been staring because Nanu cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. Looker blinked. Was it just him or was the older man’s face a bit...pink?

“Anyway… it’s good to see you again,” he said.

“Yeah, I missed you,” Looker blurted. He cringed internally, but damn that had felt good to say. He meant it.

“Oh…? Really?” Nanu said, expression going flat again. “Shortage of fuck-ups since the transfer? Must be. That Anabel makes me look like a rotting Trubbish corpse.”

“You’re not a ‘fuck-up,’” the younger man said, shaking his head. He knew Nanu would insist it was a joke, but after a few years Looker had stopped letting the self-deprecating comments slide.  
  
“Anabel is a great lead… But I could never compare you two. I mean that I miss going on missions with you. I miss letting Persian out in a new region and watching her freak out and climb the trees or jump on people's roofs. I miss you insisting on crawling in the air ducts because I got stuck for an hour that one time. I miss getting sushi after stake-outs. Did you know the best sushi is in _Unova_? I kept eating it because of your sea sickness advice, and I found this place called the Lucky Frillish, and their Tynamo Roll was so good...I wished you had been there to try it.”

Nanu’s mouth opened slightly, but he was completely speechless.  
  
"I _really_ did. I was so engrossed in the idea I even almost got another order to go, but then I remembered I had no idea where you lived or even your name." He laughed, eyes going out of focus for a few moments.  
  
Nanu was silent as Looker gradually came back to himself. "Anyway...there's a lot of other things I miss... " He looked down at his feet again, smile dying a little.  
  
The older man couldn't take it anymore. The heat building inside of him was certainly turning him bright red, and he didn't think he could even get out a sarcastic remark without stuttering.

Ignoring the panic that spiked as his hand shot out, he grabbed Looker's arms. The taller man looked back up, silver eyes adorably confused. Then, (discreetly) getting on his tip-toes, Nanu pressed a kiss onto the corner of the other man's lips, missing a little thanks to a sudden head rush. The taller man didn't flinch back as expected, but rather stood there motionless like a brick wall.

Nanu knew he should probably be embarrassed or self-conscious but he really wasn't... at all. For once there wasn't any impending bureaucratic shitstorm he had to worry about with Looker working under him or as his partner, and the overwhelming anxiety and debilitating self esteem issues he'd had as a younger man crushing hard on his colleague had gradually dissolved into apathy over the years.

Still, the scandalized expression on the other man's face as he pulled back made him feel a little guilty. Not to mention the fact that if Looker was freaked out enough he would definitely throw himself out into the hurricane just to escape.

"Sorry," he offered, shrugging. "...I couldn't help it."

Looker didn't respond at first, choosing instead to stare with his mouth hanging open. Despite Nanu's building regret, he had to stifle a laugh at the expression.

He sincerely hoped he didn't just alienate one of his oldest friends from him completely, but after tonight the feelings he'd thought were behind him for good had come back with a vengeance.

Those old disturbing thoughts that had tortured him many lonely nights about whether or not he was _in love_ with the man had seemed childish and stupid once the two had been apart for long enough. But after this ordeal he'd been reminded how bad he had wanted him and the fact that had apparently not changed. _And_ he was too old to keep playing things safe in the hopes that everything would remain the same.

Just as he regained the presence of mind to step back, the younger man spoke up.

"N-no..." he said slowly. "I....I liked it." He hesitantly laid a hand on Nanu's shoulder, not quite knowing what to do next.

Nanu momentarily couldn't understand English.

"Oh?" he replied after a long pause, voice betraying how skeptical he was that he hadn't just hallucinated that response. Now this was interesting. With some bleak amusement he realized he hadn't expected anything but rejection.

Looker's jaw tightened and he narrowed his eyes at him. It was his "serious" expression that often meant trouble during their missions, leading to harebrained schemes and professional grade bumbling that only the younger man could manage to pull off. To Nanu that ridiculous face was obnoxiously endearing.

He was nevertheless shocked when the taller man closed the several inches of distance between them and kissed him back. He lingered there a moment, hand still squeezing the smaller man's shoulder, but either didn't know how to proceed or was too polite to do so.

Nanu's entire body felt like it had burst into flames being this close to Looker. Decades old fantasies all rushed back to him at once, and he smirked against the other man's warm lips at his past self feverishly jerking himself off in countless bathrooms after they'd finished a particularly dangerous mission. He wondered what his reaction would have been if he'd known he'd finally get that kiss nearly thirty years later.

Hands grabbing the sides of Looker's head and pulling him hard against him, he opened his mouth. He may have pegged the taller man as a bit naive, but he was unexpectedly quick about shoving his tongue in at the invitation.

The older man made a noise of surprise that became a muffled chuckle. Looker tasted amazing- exactly like the black coffee he likely still inhaled by the gallon daily. Nanu hoped he didn't get a lecture later for the nasty cigarette taste he no doubt possessed. For the moment, though, Looker's mouth was reserved for mashing against his enthusiastically.  

He jerked back when the younger man's hands moved down and grabbed his ass. "What the fuck?" he said.

"Sorry!" Looker said, holding his hands up. "I...ah, I'm sorry!"

"No no, it's OK," he said, laughing. "I just didn't expect that."

Looker bit his lip, apparently not believing his assurance.

"Really, it's alright." He got closer and guided the other man's hands back down to where they were, placing his own on the broad chest in front of him. Attempting to sound inviting, he said "go on, do it again."

Looker's face was skeptical but he leaned in again, squeezing slightly. It did feel good, the way his hips were brought up against the younger man's and he had to stand up a little straighter. He couldn't stop himself from snorting, though.

The taller man frowned and removed his hands, looking confused and a little frustrated.

"Sorry! Sorry," Nanu said, "no one's ever grabbed my ass like that before. It feels weird. But good."

He slipped his arms under Looker's still soaking wet overcoat and demonstrated what he meant, grabbing handfuls of the man's ass and squeezing hard. The younger man opened his mouth in a silent gasp and pressed himself up against Nanu's smaller frame.

" _Bulu_ ," Nanu gritted out, feeling the firmness of a man half his age. "Are you still working out?!"

"Well, yes... I still have to do field work. Also it's good for you. Unlike smoking-"

"That obsession of yours is ridiculous...How do you even have time to go to the gym?"

Despite his complaining he was having fun groping his ex-partner and feeling the solidity under his hands. ...This intimacy alone was better than he had ever imagined or had experienced in a long time.

"Well, there's the gym at HQ and usually at the hotels I stay at..." As he explained himself he ran his hands up Nanu's sides and bunched up his shirt.

"Ok, ok. Keep doing it. It's obviously working." He had to consciously reign in any sarcasm that threatened to spew out of him at any moment. He knew all too well how that usually went when people were trying to get close to him.

They pressed against each other, Nanu's hands roaming up to hold onto Looker's hips as the younger man leaned down and kissed him again. This kiss was slower and longer than the first two, and Nanu was starting to feel like he was getting drunk off all of the different sensations.

Looker's hands were on his back, bunching up his shirt and uniform as they moved up. The feeling of his nails lightly scratching him and the smoothness of the bandages made him shudder.

Suddenly the loudest thunder crack so far deafened them and shook the building. They jumped and bumped each other's noses, then toppled straight to the floor when Persian bowled into them.

"Ugh!" Nanu yelled, attempting to shove her off, but she became dead weight on top of them and he couldn't get her to budge. "What is wrong with you?!"

Looker made a strangled sound as the older man's elbow dug into his rib-cage and Persian's claws pierced his chest. There was no saving any of his clothes at this point.

"Shit, sorry," Nanu said, managing to at least slide off of the man beneath him. He wrapped his arms around the cat's torso and tugged until she released her hold on Looker's suit jacket, cringing when the fabric audibly ripped. "Dammit...I'll get you a new one."

"It's alright," Looker said, propping himself up and laughing. "I have fifty more."

The joke was actually Nanu's from a long time ago. He had often accused Looker of dropping all of his cash on replacement suits due to his tendency to somehow ruin them at least once per mission. The reality was that he was just good at sewing, and only owned a few. Judging by Nanu's smirk he indeed remembered the joke. Looker swallowed at the trace of affection in his red eyes.

"Either way, you should change into something a little less wet." The older man got up and dumped the cat onto the floor. She flopped over like a dead fish.  
  
Looker reluctantly let Nanu go as he walked to the back of the station, throwing open his closet. He reached out to pat the panicking cat but decided against it when she made a hellish sound at him. Getting up, he moved to the couch and squatted down, patting the much less threatening cat. She had somehow gotten stuck in the crack between couch cushions and had stretched her entire body out.  
  
"Very Meowth-like. She'll be fine," Nanu said, returning to his side and handing him dry clothes.  
  
Looker took them, holding the shirt up. He slowly looked back at Nanu, face blank.  
  
"It's the biggest shirt I have. Not my fault you're freakishly large."  
  
"I...Thank you." Looker said, and hung his coat and jacket back up on the coat rack. He carefully laid his tie and shirt over the back of the couch, careful not to drip on the resting cat.  
  
Nanu had his arms crossed and was watching him intently when he turned back around. Looker felt inexplicably embarrassed being watched despite having been seen nearly naked by Nanu countless times in the past, the last time being only moments earlier. He pulled his pants back down and folded them over the couch before standing up straight under Nanu's gaze.  
  
"Do you have any...uhm..." he said, gesturing to his underwear.  
  
"Those _definitely_ won't fit your huge ass," the older man joked, but instantly regretted teasing the shivering, almost nude man. "You can try them on if you really want to, but it's fine if you don't wear any."

The younger man nodded, clutching the clothes to his chest like a self conscious girl hiding her breasts. He made his way to the bathroom, the older man mildly disappointed he didn't get to see Looker's ass.

At least it was a possibility now, so there was that.

\---

 Looker closed the door to the bathroom behind him, sighing quietly. He felt quite happy but also terribly anxious. He'd never felt this flustered before after he'd kissed someone, so why now?

He knew the answer to that, of course. Perhaps not to the other man, but to him this was so much more important than simply kissing or... whatever else might happen. He looked down at the thought, embarrassed to even meet his reflection in the mirror.  
  
He shook his head. He'd deal with it like any other hopeless situation- refuse to give up until the objective was achieved.  
  
What that objective was he wasn't sure. Not screw up a chance to make his long held desires come true? For now, it was putting some clothes on.  
  
He peeled the boxers off and helped himself to the last dry towel left in the room, flinching when he touched himself and realized how sensitive his dick was.  
  
"Oh no..." he choked out.  
  
\---  
  
Nanu wondered why Looker was taking forever to change but didn't pester him, focused on prying the futon out of the spare couch and covering it with things that normal people put on their beds.  
  
He'd somehow managed to find sheets, blankets, and pillows that weren't completely musty and worn, and even got Persian in her bed with the Meowth under her paw.  
  
"Watch her, alright?" he said fondly, enjoying her willingness to smother the other Pokemon with love. Her usual aloofness and sadistic attitude was much like him, but she also had a kind of motherly, nurturing side that he had been the brunt of since she had evolved all those years ago.  
  
Finally he heard the click of the door and Looker stepped out.

Nanu got up and looked at him, schooling his expression.

He looked absolutely ridiculous.The sweatpants were roomy enough to just barely cling to him, but they were so short the cuffs were halfway up his shins rather than at his ankles. The _shirt_ didn't even cover his whole torso, the gap giving Nanu a nice view of the short hairs leading down the hem of his pants. The shirt sleeves looked like they were strangling his biceps.  
  
Looker's face was also completely blank, but even if the Kahuna was blind he couldn't miss the annoyance radiating off of him.

"I don't get it... you're not that much taller than me."

Looker shook his head at the joke, not saying a word.

Walking up to him, the older man placed his hands on the bits of his stomach that were exposed. Though he was mostly solid all around, there was a little doughiness in his midsection that was essentially the only indication he was nearly middle-aged. Well, that and his frown lines, but he'd had those since Nanu had first met him in his twenties.

"What's wrong? It's cute," he said. Looker frowned even deeper, face turning pink. "Really. I mean it.”

He was ready to hurl at how horrendously saccharine he was sounding, but he couldn't help it. All he wanted to do was touch the man and make him feel better. It overrode his natural programming to be as sour as possible.     
  
The taller man sighed, mirroring Nanu's embrace.  
  
"I didn't know you had a futon," he said, looking over the other man's work. "I thought you just slept on the couch."  
  
Nanu snorted. "I do. But I know you're delicate."

Truthfully the futon looked nicer than it had in years, and he wondered why the hell he never slept on it rather than the much dingier couch. Well...laziness, of course. But maybe he'd change things around now.

There he went, getting all wistful just because something nice happened. He guessed he really _didn't_ change at all since back then.

Looker parted from him and sat down on the bed, the tiny shirt riding up and exposing almost half his back. Nanu's hands itched to return to that skin.  
  
Instead, he walked away and retrieved his own change of clothes- literally just another shirt. It was blue and striped and he never wore it in public, but Acerola had gotten it for him with the explanation that he needed more colors in his life. The girl was already a comedian, and he was both excited and fearful to see how much of a terror she'd someday become.  
  
He shed his jacket and shirt and threw them to the floor, not even the presence of the uptight man he was trying to woo enough to make him tidy. He could feel the judgment piercing through his back as he tugged the other shirt on and he smiled in amusement.  
  
Turning, he saw that indeed those gray eyes were locked onto him. He felt a shiver of excitement wondering if Looker had felt the same way about seeing his bare skin.  
  
"Uh... I don't actually have any other sweatpants. I usually just sleep with a shirt. Is that gonna be weird? I can wear a blanket toga."  
  
"No," the younger man replied a bit too quickly.  
  
Nanu shrugged and kicked off his sandals before pulling off his belt and pants. He straightened up but avoided Looker's gaze, making his way over to the opposite couch and sitting down.  
  
"Youre just going to sleep on it? Just like that? Isn't that bad for your back?" the younger man asked, looking genuinely worried. Nanu wondered if Looker saw him as one step away from the Geriatric Ward.  
  
"Well...we _could_ sleep together," he said, wagging his eyebrows.

"Really?" Looker asked, his face lighting up.

Nanu hadn't expected enthusiasm let alone an affirmative, so he just nodded dumbly.  
  
The younger man scooted over, freeing up half the bed and placing the extra pillow Nanu had provided next to him.

Nanu glanced over at Persian one last time, put at ease at the sight of her grooming the quietly mewling runt. Breathing his nerves away, he got up and flipped the lights off. Plopping down on the bed, he shimmied under the comforter and laid there awkwardly.

All three stray Meowths who had thus far been completely uninterested in them simultaneously jumped up and pressed against them for warmth. The older man felt guilty, usually not caring how little Meowths gave a shit, but the last thing he wanted was for the other man to be uncomfortable.  
  
"Is-" he started, but Looker interrupted him.  
  
"Can we spoon?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Like...can I hold you? Or you hold me?"  
  
Nanu was extremely grateful it was now dark in the room because his face must have looked ridiculous. "I know what spooning is! I mean...sure." His attempt to sound nonchalant failed even to his own ears.  
  
A Meowth cried out in annoyance and slinked off towards their feet as Looker moved in closer. Nanu turned, hoping his skin wasn't too clammy as the younger man wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. He tensed as he felt Looker's dick against his ass despite the three layers of clothing between them. If Looker noticed he didn't give any indication, sliding his arms around the older man and embracing him fully. If anything, he seemed to be pressing his hips in closer...  
  
Nanu swallowed down his nerves and forced himself to relax, the press of the other man's cheek against the back of his head helping to soothe him considerably. Looker found the hem of his shirt and stuck his hand under it, running it up and down his stomach and chest until the shirt was wedged up under his armpits.  
  
Nanu snorted and quickly removed the shirt he'd just put on, perfectly fine with being bare-ass naked if he was going to be felt up all night. He felt Looker smile against the back of his neck and a hand rested against his heart.  
  
Both breathed evenly, feeling each other gradually relax.  
  
_...This feels nice_ , Nanu thought. He couldn't describe the feeling even to himself- the warm sensation of being held like he was worth something, particularly by someone who was worth something to him...it was foreign, but amazing.  
  
He raised his own hand and wove his fingers through Looker's, squeezing when the younger man pressed a kiss into his hair.  
  
After a peaceful moment listening to the thunder growing more and more distant, Looker said "I have to go before dawn... Anabel is meeting me at the motel to prepare to meet the Faller again. Moon, I mean."  
  
"Ah," Nanu said, not wanting to talk about the situation at the moment, but conceding that it needed to be done. "Moon's a good kid. More of a chance against them than you and I combined."  
  
"Yes..." Looker trailed off, sounding troubled.  
  
"I know," Nanu said, squeezing his hand harder. The younger man's unspoken reservations were crystal clear to him.  
  
They were silent again until Looker quietly spoke.  
  
"What would you do?"  
  
The Kahuna sighed and turned all the way around, staring at Looker in the dim light. They spoke in hushed tones about the Champion and what Nanu knew about Aether's work until Looker was smiling weakly, satisfied. The questions he had come with had been answered just as he'd expected and his heart was soothed by the other man's gruff voice.  
  
After a while, they fell asleep in each other's arms.  
  
\---  
  
The next morning Looker was gone.

 Nanu slapped away the paw of a hungry Meowth that was batting at him, whether for food or sadistic glee he couldn't guess.

The Kahuna was normally a light sleeper, but the other man had somehow slipped away without stirring him, taking his clothes along. He had neatly folded what he'd worn as well as Nanu's discarded clothes and placed them on the coffee table.

Persian had opened the door and light and wind streamed through. She had a habit of opening it whenever she slept outside her ball, usually to go kill something or let some more strays in.

Nanu got up in a panic, the Meowth lying on his chest toppling off of him. He burst through the door, relieved when he saw that Persian had only moved just outside and was grooming the runt.

"Hey, uncle!"

The old man glanced over at the Team Skull kid that always loitered outside of the station. He was standing close watching the two Pokemon, but keeping his distance. Knowing the kid's usual tenacity to befriend (or rather, annoy) every Meowth, Nanu guessed he'd been growled at repeatedly til he finally backed off.

"Had a good night?" Despite the bandana, the old man could tell the grunt had a shit-eating grin to rival all shit-eating grins. Nanu stood there silently in just his underwear, hoping that he was actually still asleep and just having a nightmare, or had died from bliss last night and was in hell being tormented for his past transgressions. This would get back to Guzma in ten minutes at most. "I met your friend. He's cool!"

Nanu sighed.

"Yes, he is. Watch these two, will you?"

The kid gave a thumbs up and Nanu returned inside, grumbling.

He could at least be relieved the rain had gone back down to its usual level and that the station was still standing. Looker had probably had an easy journey back to Route 8, so he didn't have to worry.

He was of course still very, very worried. The man was no doubt confronting some murderous creature from another dimension somewhere with his new Captain and the Champion, and though he knew he'd only get in the way if he showed up he couldn't help but feel lingering pangs of guilt from when he sent Looker for potions the night before.

Throwing on the same clothes he'd worn yesterday he decided to pay a visit to Bulu's shrine and make the deity promise they'd watch over the man. Even though Nanu trusted Looker, they'd both severely underestimated the Beasts before.

He had a lot to do today- argue with Bulu, bring the Meowth to the Daycare and pick up some formula, and buy enough potions to heal every Pokemon on the island. And...afterwards check up on Looker to make sure he hadn't gotten killed yet.

For once the concept of having to get off his ass was not so unpleasant. He wondered if it had anything to do with the frenetic giddiness bubbling inside of him.

Once he'd fed the dozen Meowth that had filtered in, he wiped his no doubt dopey-looking smirk off of his face and stepped out the door.

\---

Nanu almost dropped his tea after just making it, the phone in his hand ringing immediately after he'd sent a "you alive?" text to Looker.

" _Hello_?" he answered, not sure if he should be worried at how quickly the man had called him back.

"Zero- er... Nanu!"

Just hearing the younger man's voice made him smile. _Ugh_ he was so lame.

"I'll take that as a yes?" the Kahuna deadpanned.

"What? Oh, yes! I am alive and well, and so is the Champion." Nanu heard a muffled voice in the background and then Looker added, "And Ms. Anabel, too, of course."

"Well...? How did it go?"

He held his breath. It had been a long few days of barely hearing anything from the other man. Nanu understood, of course. The fate of Alola and ultimately the world was at stake, and more importantly, Looker had to concentrate if he was going to stay alive.

He'd come and helped some with reconnaissance when he knew they would be struggling, but otherwise stayed away. He wanted to avoid that Faller woman, Anabel, reporting back to HQ about his involvement. They had their claws sunk deep into Looker and the Chief believed Nanu was a bad influence on him. He was honestly terrified she'd find out and ship him off to the opposite side of the globe. Anabel was smart, though. And kind. _And_ she still owed them. Hopefully she'd keep her mouth shut.

Last he'd heard from Looker was a text that said only "UB-05" after Nanu had inquired how he was doing. Nanu had no idea what the code-name referred to, but _some_ dark feeling told him it was the huge, gluttonous monster that had murdered the last Faller like it was nothing.

His hand had been shaking when he'd texted back "Good luck." _Please, let Moon handle it_ , he wanted to say, but he knew how horrible it would sound.

"UB-05 has been neutralized." He lowered his voice to a whisper that Nanu doubted was quiet enough to elude anyone's ears and said "The Champion _caught_ it. They caught them all. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but you were right about their ability."

"I'm always right," Nanu said, exhaling.

"Yes..." the younger man replied, his tone suddenly going cold. "About that. Is it alright if I come by a little later? A few hours from now? I must report back to the Chief, but... I'd like to discuss some things with you."

The older man swallowed, anxiety flaring up at how the other man was suddenly acting. "Sure...I'll be here."

"Alright, goodbye." Without waiting for a reply, Looker hung up.

Nanu sighed. "Bye," he said to no one and dropped his phone on the table.

Sipping his tea and sitting down on his couch, he mentally prepared to switch off all of his emotions in anticipation for the worst.

\---

 Nanu hopped off the Charizard, tossing him some beans before he turned towards the motel room door and took a long breath.

 Looker had texted him asking him to meet him there instead, though he had not said why. Despite spending three hours attempting to eject his consciousness out of his own brain he was even more anxious than before.

The door was unlocked so he knocked twice and then stepped inside. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Looker snapping his suitcase closed, the rest of the room cleared of the few belongings he'd scattered around.

"Leaving?" he asked, impressing even himself at how dead his voice sounded.

The young man looked up, startled. "Oh, Nanu! You're here!" He had the decency to look sheepish. "Actually, yes... They said they want me back to debrief by tonight and the ship's leaving in a few hours. Ms. Anabel already left but I requested a bit more time to uhm...get my things together." He gestured weakly at his suitcase.

Nanu knew he meant that he wanted to give him a proper goodbye and he also knew he should be grateful the man had thought of him, but he felt nothing.

"Oh," he forced himself to say.

Looker stared at him with a pained expression. The Kahuna wanted to hold him close and stab him at the same time.

"Yes...I'm sorry I made you wait and then come out here. I'm just a bit rushed and the report took longer than I thought it would..."

He grabbed his suitcase and approached Nanu slowly like he was approaching a rabid Lycanroc.

"Are you angry?" he said, big gray eyes looking a bit watery.

Nanu sighed. He _was_ angry, but not at Looker. It wasn't fair to make their last moments tense and unpleasant.

"No," he said, plastering on a fake smile. He patted Looker's face. "Just make sure to come back and visit, alright?"

The taller man made the face he made when trying to figure out a difficult puzzle.

Finally he leaned in and kissed Nanu, awkwardly attempting to hug him while holding his suitcase. The older man pat his arm and pulled back, feeling more than a little queasy. No matter how hard he tried over the years, he could never quite stomach goodbyes.

Looker didn't move away, staring down at him with a determined intensity. Nanu's pulse increased rapidly, body apparently not giving half a shit how terrible he was feeling.  
  
The suitcase dropped to the floor with a thump and Looker's now free hand grabbed Nanu's wrist hard. He tugged the shorter man against him roughly, not budging an inch when their chests collided.

Nanu's protest died in his throat, only able to stare as Looker leaned in and suffocated him with his coffee breath. He wouldn't mind going out that way, honestly.

"I don't want to leave you," he said, voice as smooth as butter. Nanu did miss the awkward yet endearing way his old colleague used to speak when he was still grappling with multilingualism. But he had to admit, hearing the man masterfully match his own native Alolan accent- especially when he was saying things like that to him- was just as good.   

"So... _don't_ ," the older man said, only half joking.

He wished he could force the man to finally retire or at least stop volunteering for suicidal missions, missions that more often than not ended up irreparably damaging him in some way. But he knew that Interpol was Looker's life. It had been Nanu's as well for decades, but eventually the call of his homeland and the island's god had not given him much of a choice. Not to mention the fact that his mental and physical state was reaching a point of no return and the sins of the organization were too much to cope with.

The younger man held the Kahuna close with his hand on the small of his back and kissed him hard.

"I _won't_ ," he replied when they pulled apart, and steered the smaller man backwards with hands holding his hips. Nanu stumbled back, and was too late to grab Looker's shoulder before he was shoved onto the bed.

"Eh-" he grunted, and made an extremely undignified noise for a man his age when the younger man crawled onto the bed next to him and dragged him to the center like he weighed nothing.

Looker smiled a bit too deviously at him for his liking, and Nanu quickly wiped away the idiotic expression he could feel on his own face. He felt like he had whiplash from the sudden turn in the situation.

"Don't throw me around like that, you'll break me in half," he said, feigning annoyance. Inside his heart was racing a mile a minute, body already anticipating where this was going.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I'll be gentler," Looker responded with a reverent tone, doing a bit of his own dramatic acting. Nanu had never seen him being so cheeky, but of course he'd have to be charming on top of unbearably attractive.

He was the opposite of the killjoy old man in almost every way...  
  
Nanu pushed those thoughts away furiously, absolutely unwilling to let his own neuroses ruin this.

He smirked. "No wait, I changed my mind. Break me in half." He reached up and squeezed the taller man's love handles, pleased that there was a least that little bit of fat there to grab.

Looker laughed involuntarily, slapping his hands away. So he was ticklish, eh? Cute...

"Is that an order, sir...?" he asked, face shifting from mirthful to stone-cold serious in less than a second.

Nanu pushed down the laughter threatening to burst out of him at any moment and took on a stern tone he was positive he'd never sounded like in his life. "Hurry it up, Kr. This mission is time sensitive."

He wanted to end this weird roleplay and make a move but suddenly Looker had become as taut as a piano wire and was staring down at him with hunger. ...Did Nanu giving him orders really get him going...? That was...incredibly hot. He wondered if the younger man had been like that back in the old days...

"Go on, what are you waiting for?" he said, now completely into the stupid game. The other man's expression alone was already making him hard, easily breaking any record time he'd managed by himself in the past several years.

Looker immediately leaned down, mashing their lips together. The older man opened up eagerly, barely suppressing a moan as his ex-partner licked at the roof of his mouth. He was much more enthusiastic this time, nipping at Nanu's lips and chasing his mouth as he turned to breathe.

The Kahuna shoved his face away, no longer willing to suffocate with how things were going at the moment. Looker pinned one of Nanu's wrists and abruptly shoved the other hand up his shirt, pushing him down hard against the mattress.

" _Shit_ ," the older man ground out, surprised at how hot Looker's hands were on his bare skin. He arched up automatically, but the taller man had no trouble holding him down.

Running his hand up and down Nanu's torso, he bunched up his shirt until it was mostly out of the way.

Now that he was lying there under the other man, Nanu felt a bit embarrassed to be studied so intensely. Had this happened when they'd first been working together he'd at least had some muscle, though admittedly still a pretty pathetic amount. Now he wasn't much more than skin and bones. Despite his age, his metabolism hadn't slowed down much, while his appetite was almost non-existent (other than the occasional gorging on massive amounts of sushi).  

Looker had been with a handful of both men and women before. He knew that people found him more attractive than average- thus the somewhat degrading moniker- but he'd only been compelled to use his advantage a dozen or so times in his life. He simply didn't care about that sort of thing compared to everything else going on with his life and work, though he admittedly found the physical and mental benefits from having occasional sex were profoundly valuable.

Needless to say he felt more aroused looking at the older man's body than he'd ever felt before. Perhaps it was just the memories and emotions he associated with his old senior officer, but as he stared at the man's bare torso, covered with light hairs and dozens of scars, he couldn't help but feel that way.

Though the aging Kahuna was small and thin, there was a solidity to his chest and shoulders that was unmistakably _manly_. Looker ran a hand over his exposed skin, short gray hairs scratching his palm.

Red eyes watched him intently as he pet the man like an over-sized cat.

"Like what you see?" the older man said with a smirk, voice as sarcastic as ever.

"Yes," Looker replied immediately, not pausing as he raked his gaze over him.

He tugged Nanu's shirt off completely and threw it off to the side. He weaved his fingers between the other man's and pinned his hands on either side of his head.

Burying his face in the nape of his neck, he pressed his lips there. The older man's skin was cold compared to his, and Looker heard him exhale sharply from the contact. He wanted badly to warm him up until he was burning hot to the touch.

Nanu's hands squeezed back, not wanting to move for fear of making Looker stop.

Suddenly he felt a pinch and wetness as Looker bit at his clavicle, and a jolt shot through his spine.

"Kr," he mumbled, struggling to keep himself together. He was already almost completely hard, only realizing it when Looker bit again, harder, and a painful pressure shot straight through him to his dick.

Looker felt the vibration of the man's throat under his mouth and he moaned, the sound of his actual code-name being used in this situation bringing back a hundred different memories. He kissed up his throat and jaw, then behind his ear, Nanu turning his head for him.

Finally he pulled away, feeling bad for doing so with how dazed the older man looked. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt, staring back as red eyes bore into him.

Nanu looked him up and down once his shirt was removed. He tried to keep his face blank, but he could see that his skin was flushed all the way down to his chest and he was breathing hard.

"Like what you see?" Looker smiled, parroting the other man's earlier question. He flexed his biceps and the rest of his muscles got more defined all at once.

" _Ugh_ ," Nanu replied, grimacing. "You really let yourself go since you were working under me..."

"Well, _you're_ working under _me_ now," the taller man leaned down and crushed him, brushing their noses together.

The Kahuna couldn't breathe, so he squeezed the other's love handles again and mercifully ignored the high-pitched squeak that came out of him.

"I said break me in half, not crush me," Nanu said.

Looker gave him a little bit of space but kept their hips pressed together. "Are you sure? Feels like you like it..."

"Tease," Nanu said, the joke falling flat with how rough his voice came out. He tried to steady his breathing but it seemed like an impossible task with Looker smothering him with his body.

They had barely even done anything yet and Nanu was wondering if he had ever felt this good before. It had never been so apparent how bad and how long he had wanted the man who was currently sliding slowly down his body and pressing kisses all over the flat expanse of his stomach.

His brain whispered the word _love_ again but he instantly pushed it away, not willing or able to deal with that embarrassing thought right now.

Finally Looker moved down and unbuckled Nanu's belt, sliding it smoothly out of the loops and dropping it to the floor with a clatter. He unbuttoned and unzipped the older man's pants, knuckles deliberately brushing against his dick.

Nanu let out a frustrated grunt and scrubbed a hand down his face, one red eye fixated on Looker's hands. The latter placed his palm just above the waistband of his briefs, somehow finding this fact also strangely _manly_ as well. Every single man he'd been with before had worn boxers, but of course Nanu would be different.

Deciding to have mercy, the younger man took up the fabric of Nanu's pants and yanked them down rougher than necessary. The Kahuna was quite light, so he steadied himself with a hand on Looker's chest, hoping to make the process even a microsecond faster. Once his pants were vanquished to some unknown part of the room, Looker slid his hands under the older man and squeezed his ass hard.

"Fuck," Nanu exclaimed, caught off guard again. The look of absolute lust on his former colleague's face shut him up, though, and a rarely felt sense of confidence came over him at being looked at so reverently.

"Pardon, chéri," Looker said, the tenor of his voice raising Nanu's body temperature another couple degrees. "You just look so amazing like this...underneath me, wearing nearly nothing..."

"You look good, too. Really good," the older man replied lamely. He could barely talk at this point, so he hoped the response was enough. It didn't help that his voice only came in two flavors: sarcastic and gloomy. The smile the detective gave him seemed genuine, though, so he relaxed an iota.

Looker removed his own belt swiftly and moved to the side to pull off his pants, all the while gazing at the other with the over-the-top lust and affection of a romance movie lead. Considering he also had the looks of a movie star, the expression was anything but cheesy.

Nanu was relieved to see that the taller man was also completely hard, but the relief turned into anxiety when he realized that this was actually going to happen.

He drank in the sight of what was obviously a sizable dick underneath the thin pair of boxer-briefs. His own responded appreciatively, but his heart was practically beating out of his chest.

He'd never been with a man before. He'd had plenty of sex with women in the past, most of it admittedly regrettable, but the thought only just struck him how alien this would be.

Looker seemed to sense his change of mood despite his sharply-honed skills at making his expression completely blank.

"Alright?" he asked, voice light. He leaned in and ran his hand gently down Nanu's cheek and neck, finally settling on his collarbone reassuringly.

The older man nodded, hoping to look cool and unaffected. He knew it'd be fine, Looker would take care of him, but he really didn't want to make this a disaster like he was prone to do.

The detective smiled and placed his elbows on the bed, propping himself up inches above Nanu. He pressed their lips together, and just as the Kahuna started to relax the taller man ground his hips down, making Nanu moan against his mouth. Hearing the noise coming from his own throat made his ears burn with embarrassment, but Looker just leaned in closer until he was again smothering the smaller man.

Their hips now pressed together, the fabric did nothing to diminish the over-stimulation shooting through the Kahuna's entire body as Looker's dick brushed against his.

Nanu's brain buzzed with ribbing he'd like to throw at his obviously enthusiastic ex-colleague, but when he turned his head from the kiss Looker's mouth was on his jaw and throat and he still couldn't muster up anything but a strangled " _Ah._ "

After a few blissful moments of kisses raining down on him and several licks and nips on his apparently _very_ sensitive nipples, Nanu dug his nails into Looker’s shoulder.

"Kr," he finally managed to say, "you don't have to coddle me. Do what you want."

"What I want?" Looker asked, jaw tightening in that serious way. "I don't think you can handle what I want."

"Oooh, you're so scary," Nanu droned. Any trepidation he had been feeling before had been entirely wiped out by his overwhelming need to get off.

"I don't think _I_ can handle what I want," the younger man joked. It had been bizarre to see him in a mood other than 200% serious for so long, and _fuck_ was it cute. Nanu's greatest weakness was a sense of humor, and although the younger man's jokes were nerdy at best, it only made him exponentially more attracted to him.

"Only one way to find out," the old man said, grabbing the other man's ass.

Looker pulled back, though, and Nanu felt briefly panicked as the younger man got off the bed.

“Hang on,” he said, and flashed that perfect ass as he bent down to fiddle with something on the floor. Before the older man could gather enough strength to get up, Looker returned with a small white tube.

It took Nanu less than a second to identify the object. "You brought _lube_ in your luggage? Were you planning to meet someone special? Or was it for the mission? To be honest I'm more inclined to believe the latter."

"No!" Looker replied, flustered. Nanu noticed the tiniest trace of some unknown accent bleeding into his voice. He was nervous.  "I bought it a couple of hours ago...in case...Well, it was wishful thinking."

"You _planned_ this?" Nanu gaped, feeling somewhat annoyed that his desperation was so easy to predict.

"I truly did not expect anything to happen... It was _very_ wishful thinking...I did not want to be unprepared in case, you know..."

"It's alright," the older man said, feeling guilty watching his ex-partner struggle to explain himself. He sat up and grabbed Looker's arm, pulling him back down on top of him on the bed. "You were right, as always. Shall we?"

"Are you sure...?" the taller man asked. Now he was the one looking worried while Nanu felt calm.

"Yes. I'm sorry. You know I can't help being mean sometimes." He held his hands on Looker's sides, this time not squeezing him like he wanted to.

"You're not mean," the younger man said, smiling. Nanu let out a breath.

"We can argue about whether or not I'm mean after this, OK?" He was still painfully hard and didn't think he could last much longer before he took himself in hand for some relief.

"Oh, sorry," Looker said, his face returning to laser focus. Without warning he hooked his fingers under the waistband of Nanu's briefs and tugged them down. The feeling of the fabric sliding along his dick was almost too much, and his entire body tensed.

The younger man grabbed Nanu's wrists and transferred them to one hand, easily able to pin them above his head. He wrapped his free hand around the other's dick and squeezed, pumping it a few times.

"U-uuh... _fuck_ ," Nanu blurted out, arching up as much as his shaking body would allow.

"Hold still," Looker said quietly, and he twisted Nanu's wrists until they were held roughly at his side. The younger man leaned down and breathed hot air on the older man's already leaking head.

Nanu squirmed, wanting to yell or shake his ex-partner, but he could do neither. All he could do was watch with rapt attention while Looker licked a swathe on the underside of his cock. Pleasure shot through him and he bit his lip hard to keep from crying out like a Meowth in heat.

"Do you think you can last much longer...?" the younger man said, looking up.

" _What...?_ " Nanu snapped. He had barely registered the question. He needed his ex-partner's mouth on him right now.

"I-I mean...it's fine, of course. I was just curious-"

" _Please_ ," Nanu begged without any scrap of dignity. He squirmed until a sweaty hand slipped from Looker's grip and dug a fist into Looker's dark hair. Luckily he still had the presence of mind to not try and force his mouth back on him no matter how badly he wanted to.

The younger man obeyed, the fist in his hair exciting him even more. He wrapped his hand around the shaft and enthusiastically licked at the head, saliva dripping down his fingers after a few moments. It was no surprise he was salivating in anticipation- Nanu's dick felt so good in his hand. It wasn't particularly long, but the perfect size and girth relative to the compact man. Looker wished he could feel it inside him.

Maybe later. For now he'd do his best to please his old boss.

He released his hold and the older man exhaled sharply. Placing his hands on Nanu's thighs, Looker spread them and leaned in, slowly working his mouth down the full length.

He wasn't the most experienced with blowjobs, usually preferring to get off as quickly as possible, but he had performed a few on request. What he lacked in practice he liked to think he made up for in enthusiasm.

He slid his tongue along Nanu's length as he pulled back a little, trying his best to acclimate to the sensation.

"Mmmm..." he hummed, and Nanu's fist tightened painfully. He could even feel the thigh muscles under his hands trembling as he took more in and brushed the sensitive skin with his teeth.

"Fuck!" Nanu choked out.

Looker glanced up, meeting the older man's gaze. His eyes were wide and he was clutching the bed frame with his free hand. The fist in Looker's hair mercifully loosened a little as he returned to reality.

The younger man looked like he was having a hard time fitting the whole length into his mouth, eyes slightly watering and shoulders tense, but it didn't matter. Nanu vowed to remember this sensation combined with the view until the day he died.

"That feels so good, Kr. Don't stop." His voice was weak and he struggled to keep his eyes open and not give himself up entirely to the pleasure.

Despite wishing this could last longer, watching Nanu coming undone- especially because of _him_ \- was bringing him to the edge as well. He slipped a hand under his own waistband and touched himself, moving the other back to Nanu's dick as he moved back for air.

He sat up, freeing his cock and leaking precum in just a few strokes. He attempted to jack them off at the same time but could barely keep any kind of rhythm. Nanu's hands reached for him and he moved closer, the shorter man's palms pressing against his chest seeking more contact. Looker took them both in one hand and awkwardly pumped, but the sensation was more than enough.

" _Aaahh_ hhahahaa!" Nanu's moan turned into a giddy laugh and he slapped Looker's pectoral hard. The younger man couldn't help but snort in between shallow breaths.

"...Funny...?" he managed to ask. He jerked them both hard and slow and Nanu fell silent, breath catching in his throat.

Looker didn't wait for an answer before he had to speak again. "Ah, you look so good, Nanu. You feel amazing."

The older man moved his hands to Looker's arms and dug his nails into the straining muscles. He was panting hard, able only to desperately hold onto the other man.

Looker stared at him, amazed he was seeing the stoic man like this. It felt like a treasure no one but him had witnessed, though he knew that was certainly not the case.

Suddenly Nanu made a weak noise in the back of his throat and he was cumming against Looker's hand. His entire body tensed as he lost control of himself.

"Kr..." he said, voice sounding small and lost.

Looker took one of his hands in his and released Nanu's dick, pumping himself furiously and kissing the man's knuckles. He forced his eyes open through the ecstasy, the sight of the smaller man covered in sweat and cum multiplying the building pressure exponentially. Nanu stared back with half lidded eyes, looking more content than Looker had perhaps ever seen him.

As the younger man tensed up and felt his orgasm come to a head, Nanu sat up and wrapped his fist around Looker's, stilling him.

"Let me," he said.

Looker had been right on the brink and had to gape at the other man, a bit frustrated that he was being interrupted. The older man's offer was too good to pass up, though, and he didn't hesitate long. He nodded, watching as Nanu tucked his knees under him and bent down.

It was awkward with both of their hands but the Kahuna licked at the head, pumping hard. Though he'd never once intentionally had a cock close to his mouth, he understood the gist of what was to be done. This much he could certainly do for Looker after being  taken care of so eagerly.

Thankfully it was only a few moments before the taller man was spilling his seed into the older man's mouth. He couldn't help but flinch a little in surprise, a bit dripping down his chin and hand, but he recovered quickly and caught the rest. He kept pumping, feeling like he'd choke if there was any more, but then Looker brought his chin up with his thumb to look at him.

"Arceus," he breathed, admiring the other's flushed face. His skin was soaked in sweat and his short hair was plastered to his forehead and neck, and a line of Looker's cum dripped from the corner of his mouth. "Let me see," he said, sticking his tongue out in demonstration.

Nanu blinked slowly and then mimicked him. He hadn't swallowed Looker's load yet and a huge glob of cum was sitting on his tongue.

"Oh...fuck," Looker said, voice pained. He felt a pleasure stirring in his abdomen again but pushed it down, too exhausted to deal with getting hard again.

Nanu raised an eyebrow. The weight of Looker's cum on his tongue was repulsive and much more unpleasant than he'd ever imagined, but it was worth the shattered expression on the other man's face. He felt proud that he'd managed to reciprocate in some small way before it was over. Rolling his tongue, he locked his exhausted gaze with the other's and swallowed, succeeding in holding back his grimace.    
  
" _Frecher alter Mann_ ," Looker said and pushed Nanu down onto the bed, lying down next to him. He draped his upper body on top of him, weaving their hands together as he kissed him.  
  
"Did you just call me 'old man'?" Nanu asked, turning away. He still needed time to catch his breath and Looker was making it difficult.  
  
"No," the younger man said, propping his head in his hand and watching him. His other hand reached up and pinched Nanu's nipple.  
  
" _Ow_ ," he grunted and slapped his hand away.  
  
Despite his energetic performance, Looker looked absolutely exhausted. Nanu was surprised he wasn't the only one that had been pushed to the limit, fearing for a while there that his stamina would be pathetically lacking.  
  
Not thinking, he held an arm out, instantly feeling anxious that he would be judged like he had judged so many women before. He'd never been the type to invite cuddling- not the biggest fan of being touched in general- but he wanted Looker back on him again.  
  
The younger man wrapped his arms around him and laid his head on his chest. The combination of their body heat and the cool air in the room didn't help his fight against the encroaching urge to sleep.

Looker's hands ran up and down his body, alternating between pressing him close and squeezing the back of his neck while they kissed.

"Mmm..." he mumbled against the Kahuna's mouth.

"Mmm?" Nanu mumbled back.

Looker parted from him and stared with bright gray eyes, propping himself up on one elbow.

"That was amazing," he said bluntly.

"Hmmm...yeah. It was," Nanu nodded. In his exhaustion, his voice defaulted back to monotone. "Sorry we didn't use your lube."

"It's alright... I could still 'meet someone special' on the ship ride back." Looker raised his hand to his chin in thought.

Nanu once again felt nausea bubbling within him at the mention of Looker leaving, knowing that his declaration that he wouldn't hadn't been serious. But he refused to be mournful about it- at least while the man was still here.

"Har har," Nanu rolled his eyes. Although after this performance he would honestly not surprised if the man slept around often. "You can, though, you know."

"Can what?" Looker asked, turning fully to face him.

"Mmm... 'hook up' with other people? I don't know. Whatever you want. I won't be mad or anything. Not that I'll even know."

Looker raised an eyebrow slowly. Nanu could tell that had been the wrong thing to say.

"Nanu," the younger man said. He took Nanu's hands in his and kissed them both. Then he locked eyes with him and bluntly said "I don't care about anyone else but you."

The older man swallowed, feeling his throat tighten. There he went again with that romance movie shit. Nanu apparently had no defenses against it.

"I swear it's alright. You're still young. You're still Mr. International Man of Mystery. You've still got to wear those dashing suits. You can still get plenty of ladies...and, uh, gentlemen with that face of yours. The body...meh." He poked the microscopic amount of fat on Looker's side with his elbow.

Now Looker rolled his eyes. "I'm _not_ young...I'm almost middle aged! I've already met plenty of people. Probably more that I don't remember..." he got quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. Then he continued. "But none of them matter... I want to be with _you_."

The absolute sincerity in Looker's voice and face stunned Nanu into silence. He would have struggled for days to admit something like that to himself let alone to the other man, and here Looker was bearing his heart minutes after they'd just fucked. He clutched his friend's hands tightly in his own and studied his face for any trace of a lie. Looker gazed back calmly.

"Don't go," Nanu said, finally. He couldn't have mustered up a thoughtless comment to drive the man away if he had tried for a solid hour.  
  
The idea of Looker leaving now filled him with agony and a paralyzing anxiety that the man wouldn't survive long enough to even come back.  
  
"Fuck HQ. Fuck the chief. You weren't even lead on this UB bullshit. You wrapped this up with a nice little bow, and now you can tell the chief to shove your last paycheck up her ass. I've got Kahuna wages, baby. You don't have to worry about anything."

Looker sighed. He pulled Nanu in close until they were tangled together and ran his hand up and down his back. He traced a few scars before finally sliding their arms together in an embrace. Nanu hugged back, trying not to squeeze him as hard as he wanted to. Once the older man finally felt like he'd convinced the other, the bastard said "...I _have_ to go."

Nanu tensed, heart clenching painfully. He grabbed Looker's shoulder and pushed him back, glaring at him. "You're gonna die out there, Kr! I won't let you."

Looker smiled. He bent his arm so he could brush a finger across Nanu's cheek affectionately. "I'm not done! I need to go back to Headquarters so I can announce my retirement. Even you gave the chief that courtesy. Although you did disregard her request and continue to drink all of the coffee in the morning without refilling the pot... She still talks about that, you know."

Nanu laughed a real laugh, one that he hadn't felt in a long time, the tension inside him dissipating.  
  
"What? Really? That was easy."  
  
Looker scoffed. "Actually, I was already thinking about retiring soon. I've been getting a little sloppier and I don't know why... And of course there was the last time, and I almost failed..." he trailed off, lost in his head.

Nanu squeezed his hand back. He wasn't sure which particular tragedy Looker was referring to but he wouldn't pry right now. He was more worried about the admission that he was getting "sloppy." Looker had always been clumsy, unpredictable, and awkward, but never sloppy.

Nanu thought about how the man had supposedly undergone some trauma some time back that led to him partially losing his memory. He'd wanted badly to find him and try to do something about it (what, he didn't know), but by the time he'd heard about it HQ had already wrapped the whole thing up and claimed he was in tip top shape and back in the field.  
  
"Also... I've finally got somewhere to go once I leave," he finished, and slid down to lay his head on Nanu's chest. The older man hoped he couldn't hear the heart beating out of his ribcage, though he most definitely did.  
  
Now that Looker couldn't see him he smiled down at the messy hair and ran his hand through it.  
  
"Looker," he said after a few blissfully quiet minutes.  
  
"Mmm...?" came the half-asleep reply.  
  
Nanu was silent. What had he wanted to say? 'You have to go get on the ship, remember'? No, he didn't _want_ to say that, though he should. 'Go tell the chief I wasn't stopping at the coffee and that I'm the one taking you away, and that I said 'hahaha’'? He would like to say that, but Looker probably wouldn't appreciate the joke. 'I think I love you'? No. Absolutely not.  
  
"...Nevermind. I'll tell you later," he finally said.  
  
Looker didn't reply, having already passed out in seconds.  
  
Nanu smiled again, feeling the other man's solid presence against him, and for once in his long life he felt like nothing bad could ever touch him again.    
  
Closing his eyes, he slept peacefully for the first time in years.

  



End file.
